Some relief efforts work; some bound in red tape

HoustonChronicle.com - Some relief efforts work; some bound in red tape: "However, a curious move over the weekend seemed to indicate that perhaps Texas officials, now accommodating 240,000 evacuees, felt their concerns weren't being addressed by Washington.

Last Saturday, Perry put the federal government on notice that Texas was reaching its limit after taking in an estimated 240,000 evacuees.

When the evacuees kept coming, Perry's office took a different tactic. He notified the White House on Sunday he planned to order the airlift of evacuees to other states that had offered to take them in.

Airlift effort stalled

Within hours of the public announcement, FEMA contacted Perry's office to say that it would be taking over the airlift. But by late Monday, no planes had left. 'When they took over they put it in a holding pattern,' said Ted Royer, a spokesman for Perry.

A call to a FEMA spokeswoman in Washington for comment, was not returned Monday to the Houston Chronicle.

The Texas governor's office maintained public safety for the evacuees was the ultimate concern in organizing the airlift."